Tuesday with Tulsa

Posted on March 12, 2013 by TU Community

Today’s Tuesday With Tulsa blog post comes from Gracie W., a junior German and Education major from Rogers, AR.

Before I came to TU, I never realized what a new and diverse world there was to discover just two hours from my home. International students make up a significant part of TU’s student population, and their numbers are growing each year. Yet, we often allow cultural differences to prevent us from getting to know students from other countries. But I’ve found that international students are some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet, and they’re usually eager to make American friends. If you reach out to the international population at TU, you’ll find it’s easy to start some incredible, enriching friendships.

My first semester at Tulsa, I took a beginning Russian course. On the first day of class, I was surprised to find that I was the only girl in a class of 17 Arab men. The course focused on conversation, so I spent most of the time talking with my classmates in Russian. Through all of our fumbling with new words and a new alphabet, we got to know each other pretty well. Though I knew almost nothing about Middle Eastern culture, I never felt out of place in class. Later on, I also met several Kazakh students through the Russian Club. Who would have guessed that the Russian language would bring so many Middle Eastern students and American students together? That’s the beauty of internationalization at TU. If you just take the effort to reach out to the international community, they’ll welcome you with open arms. You’ll also find students from all over the world. As a German major, I’m always thrilled talk with exchange student from the University of Siegen. And last summer, I had a fantastic time getting to know a group of Chinese exchange students as part of my job at the Center for Global Education.

Now, I am studying abroad myself. My experiences in Germany have shown me just how much it means to find a friendly face in a new place. So my advice to any incoming students would be, don’t be afraid to reach out to the international community. As TU students, we are very lucky to have so many enriching international opportunities on campus. Make the most of them!

Tuesday with Tulsa: Mobile Moments from Scotland

Posted on March 11, 2013 by TU Community

Today’s Tuesday with Tulsa post comes to us from across the pond…Hillary S., a junior Energy Management major from Parker, Colorado, sent us these mobile moments from Scotland.

Hey y’all, I’m back for another edition of Golden Mobile Moments! I don’t normally say “y’all” often, but here everyone says “yous” and it’s really weird.

This time, I’m writing to you from Aberdeen, Scotland, where 3 other classmates and I are studying abroad for the semester. As an Energy Management student, we have the option to study abroad in Scotland or Singapore. We’ve been having a great time meeting new people, but also hanging out with each other. It’s nice to have a little TU family even when you’re far away!

These are letters from my pledge class. They wrote them to me before Christmas break and put them in a huge envelope that said, “DO NOT OPEN UNTIL THE PLANE.” It really brightened the trip over the pond. I was the only person in my house to go abroad this semester, so sometimes it’s easy to feel like I’m missing things. But they have been doing a great job of keeping me in the loop!

There is a unicorn in the middle of the city. What.

I was actually expecting it to be much colder here, but all in all, it’s very good. This was a particularly blustery walk to work one morning, but at least I got to rock my TU umbrella!

Yay, sunshine in Aberdeen!

Superbowl Sunday/Monday. It started at 11:30 pm here! Luckily, Thomas’ flat has a TV. Unluckily, there are no commercial breaks in sports here. So there were extra commentators and no funny commercials. We watched them the next day on YouTube.

People really do wear kilts here, y’all. The boys went to a formal dinner for work and said it was 50/50 tuxedos/kilts. I take a lot of creepy pictures on the bus. There could be an anthology of ONLY bus pictures.

This is right across the street from my office building. My internship is really interesting, because I didn’t really know anything about offshore drilling before coming here. The project I’m working on is a report on the transportation of offshore rigs to locations around the world.

We’re right on the North Sea, so there’s a beach, but I won’t be swimming anytime soon. Reid said that he wants to run into it, just to say that he did. There were people surfing in wetsuits, when we visited.

This river runs behind our campus. It was a nice day this week and I ate lunch out there!

I really miss TU, but there is plenty to see here. Don’t worry, we’re bringing plenty of Golden Hurricane spirit to Aberdeen!

Tuesday with Tulsa: TU Spirit

Posted on March 5, 2013 by TU Community

Today’s Tuesday With Tulsa blog post comes from Oriana A, a junior marketing major from Tulsa and member of the TU Spirit Squad.

What I love about sports is not the refs, trick plays, slam dunks or cheerleaders (even though I am on the Spirit Squad), it’s the fans. There is nothing quite as exciting as being in a huge stadium like the Reynolds Center and hearing the student section stomping and yelling for the Golden Hurricane basketball team. For being the smallest division 1 school, we make a lot of noise. We even have a new head coach, Danny Manning, who has taken our team to a new level. This past Saturday, the Spirit Squad (comprised of Pom, Cheer and Mascot) organized a flash mob for the student section to perform at halftime. Students came dressed for the occasion and breezed through Gang’em style, YMCA and the Harlem Shake as if they had been preparing for this performance all season (in reality we only had 1 practice!). The performance turned out to be just what the basketball team needed to come back from a 30 point deficit and win the game!

I have been on the Spirit Squad for 3 years and this flash mob will always be one of my favorite memories. Another favorite memory was going to (and winning!) the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on New Year’s Eve. Even cold and raining weather couldn’t keep us down! I graduate in May, 2014 and hope that my senior year brings another Liberty Bowl win as well as a Basketball CUSA Championship.

Tuesdays with Tulsa: Spotlight: Vocal Performance majors

Posted on January 8, 2013 by TU Community

Today’s Tuesday with Tulsa post is a spotlight on Vocal Performance Majors at The University of Tulsa and is brought to us by Kim Childs, Associate Professor of Vocal Studies and Voice.

Because TU is a smaller university, many people do not realize that we have a successful regional vocal program.

Welcome, prospective voice majors (and anyone else who wants to sing while at TU)! My name is Kim Childs, and I’m the Associate Professor of Vocal Studies and Voice at the University of Tulsa.

TU has a small but strong vocal program that includes two choirs (a competitive chamber singers by audition only [Cappella Chamber Singers] and a larger SATB chorus [TU Chorale], an opera workshop, voice lessons and numerous venues for performance, including conducting, vocal jazz and film studies.

TU vocalists have many opportunities for advancement and success. Each year, at least one of our vocal students wins or places in the prestigious Oklahoma National Association of Teachers of Singer Competition, and vocalists at our university have historically won competitions locally and regionally. Nationally known conductors, clinicians and performers come to TU each year, and our voice majors are fortunate to be a part of this.

In addition to solo opportunities, our vocalists are regularly featured in Oklahoma All-Collegiate Choir festivals, Tulsa PAC “Brown-Bag It” performances, the prestigious Bernsen Series, Tuesday at Trinity performances, and local and regional choir tours, including a recent performance at Carnegie Hall.

TU’s vocal faculty performs regularly. I am a tenor and a Baroque music specialist and perform regularly in early music performances and professional choral societies. Baritone-Bass and pianist Brady McElligott, head of the opera program at TU, performs regularly both local and regional.

TU’s scholarships are generous, and we look for fine vocalists each year. This year, we have substantial scholarship awards for tenor vocal performance or music majors. These top awards will be granted from our top selections during the audition process at TU for the 2013/14 year. Auditions are January 19, 26 and February 2, 2013 (all Saturdays) and you can find more information regarding the audition process at http://www.utulsa.edu/academics/colleges/henry-kendall-college-of-arts-and-sciences/Departments-and-Schools/School-of-Music/Auditions. Specific questions can also be obtained by calling our Vocal Departments Coordinator, Susan Goldman-Moore at 918-631-2768 or emailing her at: susan-goldman-moore@utulsa.edu

The University of Tulsa is known for small teacher/student ratios and for a high rating of student satisfaction. As you can see, we have a tight-knit and fun-loving vocal family at TU! Come join the fun!

Pickle Olympics

Posted on July 24, 2012 by TU Admission

This week’s Tuesday with Tulsa blog comes from Professor Charles M. Wood from the Collins College of Business and provides a glimpse into the marketing program at The University of Tulsa.

Ever had trouble opening a pickle jar? Well, last spring, marketing students experienced this and more – from the perspective of being a senior citizen! One of their marketing class sessions was devoted to a relay-type race called the “Pickle Olympics” where each student donned a tie-dye jacket, translucent glasses, and clumsy gloves then attempted one of 30 challenges.

Challenges included finding the proper medication on a table full of pill bottles, opening a band-aid and applying it properly, dispensing a precise amount of water using a measuring cup, and the finale of course – required them to open a pickle jar with their large gloves already smeared with hand lotion.

The learning objective of the Pickle Olympics was to develop a sense of empathy among the students and help them discover new product ideas for the senior market not considered before.

A student’s experience with everyday activities is very different from an elderly person’s, mainly due to differences in physical strength, vision, and mobility. The marketing students came away from this experience with a fresh perspective – and a long list of new product ideas designed to assist senior consumers with everyday hassles!

For more information, please visit www.utulsa.edu/studioblue and www.novafellowship.org.

Sociology

Posted on April 10, 2012 by TU Community

Today’s Tuesday with Tulsa blog post was written by Shannon C., an alumna of the Sociology department at The University of Tulsa. We asked Shannon to tell us about her experience studying Sociology at TU, and this is what she had to say….

Choosing a college, and a major, can be a completely overwhelming process. I wish that when I was making a decision, I had taken a little more time and been a little more open-minded about my options. After starting out at another school, I transferred to TU my sophomore year and finally felt like I had found the right fit. I also finally found a major where I felt at home. The major I finally chose was challenging, intriguing, and eventually altered the way I looked at the world. I was able to study abroad, design and conduct my own research studies with the support of my professors, and form friendships that I will have for the rest of my life. Oh, and the best part? Because of the internships I had while I was in school, and the connections I made through my TU networks, I was able to find a job before I even graduated. What was this major that opened so many doors for me, you ask? Sociology.

Sociology professor Lara Foley took a group of students to Ghana in 2009

What is sociology? What does it mean to major in sociology? Sociology is the study of society: our interactions with each other as individuals and as groups, and the institutions and trends that come from those interactions. We use empirical, scientific tools to analyze those interactions and attempt to describe them in an objective way.

Ultimately, majoring in sociology means, as one alumni has described it, “learning how to think”. Although my classes focused on questions about education, poverty, social movements, racial identity, and gender, I was learning critical reasoning skills that I was able to carry with me into the workplace after graduation, and use to analyze and sort through questions of a different nature.

Sociology students take a break from writing their Social Movements and Collective Behavior final for Dr. Blocker

Sometime last year, I was chatting with a former professor of mine about the kinds of skills that sociology students develop in their classes, and how they are applicable to wide range of different jobs. We got onto the topic of alumni, and how many different career fields sociology graduates from TU have ended up in.

From that conversation, the seeds were planted that today have grown into my current project. I have spent the past few months tracking down sociology graduates and interviewing them about what they have gone on to do after graduation. I have to say, the list is pretty remarkable. TU’s sociology graduates are doctors, lawyers, nurses, professors, researchers, law enforcement officers, and teachers, working all around the world. We have gone on to earn advanced degrees from universities at home and abroad, win numerous competitive research grants, and even meet with sitting US presidents.

Monte Hawkins, Class of 1999, with President George W. Bush

I think the most impressive part of all of this is the diversity of careers paths that our graduates have chosen. I know that some students coming into college are hesitant to choose to major in a social science because they aren’t sure they will be able to find a job after graduating. I hope that the alumni profiles I am putting together will help to dispel that myth. Each of the graduates I have talked to, whether they graduated in 1999 or 2009, has said that majoring in sociology gave them the critical thinking and problem solving skills necessary to succeed in their future careers. Each of them has also said that the support they received from the sociology professors at TU was an integral part of their undergraduate success.

I can personally vouch for how supportive the sociology professors are. One professor, Dr. Ron Jepperson, gave up countless hours of his evenings and weekends to help me through a semester-long quantitative research project when I hit unexpected snags and needed expert advice. I was eventually able to present that research at a regional African Studies conference, which would not have been possible without his support. Even after graduating, I kept in touch with all of the professors, as I know many other graduates have.

December 2009 sociology grads Hannah, Sarah, and Shannon with Dr. Jean Blocker and fellow sociology student Jenny

All of this is to say that, if you are unsure of what to major in, you should most certainly take Sociological Imagination, which is the introductory sociology class. If nothing else, you will fulfill a block credit, but if you are anything like me, you will find that your mind is opened to a whole new way of viewing the world, and you will be totally hooked. The good news is that when you go home and tell your parents that you’ve decided to major in sociology, and they give you the, “You’ll never get a job with that!” lecture, you will be able to pull up the website and point to a whole slew of profiles of successful alumni.

Just one of the many awards sociology alumni have won – a key to the City of Tulsa and a proclamation from the Tulsa City Council

Tuesday with Tulsa: Hello from Malaysia

Posted on April 3, 2012 by TU Community

Today’s Tuesday with Tulsa guest post comes to us from across the globe…

My name is Corey, and I am writing this from Malaysia! I am also a student at The University of Tulsa, so why am I here? I am studying abroad, at the Universiti Teknologi Petronas, an exchange program organized through TU! This once in a lifetime opportunity, to immerse myself in an entirely different country, with its unique culture, people, and experiences, has been excellent, and if you come to Tulsa, you can have this opportunity as well. It begins with you, deciding this is something you want to do, as it is challenging. Not only will you be new to the school you go to, you will be new to the country, the people, and culture, but that is the best part! If you have this mindset, do some research on where you want to go. Tulsa has a great website, where you can start looking at opportunities now, www.utulsa.edu/globaleducation/, but you must be in your second semester before you can travel abroad. It is never too early to start planning though, as it does take some time to find a program not only in the country you want to do to, but also with the classes you need to transfer into your major. To be sure, some majors have an easier time finding courses, but anyone can go, with planning. I am a Petroleum Engineering major, and I found programs that worked for me! Once you find a program, apply through the Center for Global Education, and hopefully you are accepted. Once you are, you can start planning, and there is a lot to do. Of course, you need to get a flight, but depending on where you go, you may also need immunizations to be safe. Once you are there though, it is a fantastic experience. I will share some of mine.

I have been in Malaysia for about two months now, and I am loving it. My university is in the middle of the jungle, but beautiful.

The classes I take all transfer back to TU, so I am not “losing time” by being abroad – rather, I am transferring 15 hours back! The best part about being here? The travel. I have been all over Malaysia, as well as to Singapore and Thailand. I travel by plane, train, bus, minibus, taxi, tuk tuk, bike, ferry, longtail, and foot to get all over Southeast Asia. Here’s a few pictures.

Here I am introducing some kids at a Malay wedding in Taiping to Angry Birds! Angry Birds is all the rave here – hats, shirts, you name it.

Thaipusam is celebrated by Hindus to pay vows made to Lord Muruga. There are 300 steps up into the Batu cave, up which the devout travel with a burden to bear, from a jug of milk to piercings in their back. This is a devout Hindu, bearing the burden of fish hooks, piercing his back, and weighted, to inflict pain while ascending the steps. It is a sign of their devotion. Many other Hindus pray to Muruga for a child, and when their prayers are answered, they carry the child up these steps to thank Muruga.

Here are some more pictures:

A sendoff for the Barracuda caught in Langkawi, Malaysia

The Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore

Travel via Longtail with our guide, Yes, to Maya Bay, Phi Phi Leh, Thailand!

Elephant Trekking in Phuket, Thailand! I felt like I would fall off the whole time, because, I nearly did.

This experience has been unforgettable, and the best part? I am here another 2 months! I plan to fish for snakehead, see a Formula One race, experience Bangkok, and learn to Scuba Dive at Perhentian Islands before I leave. Who knows what else I will do? Read more at coreyhardegree.wordpress.com. Studying abroad is about creating your own experience – you dictate who you meet, where you go, and what you take away. It gives perspective to your world view, one that now sees other cultures as different, not wrong. Take the leap: study abroad, and you’ll come back better for it.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Posted on March 21, 2012 by TU Community

Here is a guest blog post from Maribel O., a senior Energy Management Major from Arkansas….

When I first decided to be a guest blogger for the TU Admission Blog, I thought it would take me a couple of minutes to write something funny, insightful, and inspiring. Yet, this brought to mind so many of the memories that I have experienced at TU. Both good and bad. And it surprised me how quick my journey at TU has been. Allow me to share my story with you…

As a small-town girl from Huntsville, Arkansas, I wanted to get out of Arkansas. And fast. I traveled to colleges in Missouri, Oklahoma, and California in search of the perfect one. I wanted to retain the small-town feel that I had grown up in, but not sacrifice the thrill of football games and Greek life. I found the perfect mix at TU. This sounds super cheesy, but I knew I wanted to be a Hurricane the moment I set foot on campus. I even made a life-long friend out of my tour guide at Tulsa Time. (Shout out to Sara M)! The professor whose class I sat in for Tulsa Time ended up being one of my favorite professors and I proceeded to take two of his classes (Dr. Settle WILL make you learn economics). My admission counselor was beyond awesome and the entire staff or counselors, advisers, and professors eased the transition from high school to college.

First semester I joined a sorority and I am proud to call some of the most incredible, talented, and caring women on campus my sisters. But some of my closest friends are non-Greek and I love that TU has the type of environment where affiliation does not impede friendships, but rather fortifies them. Campus has so much diversity; I have friends from Indonesia, Scotland, China, Venzuela, Uzbekistan, Ireland, Germany, Nigeria, and India. It is incredible how much you can learn from your friends! Who knew Kazakhstanian women love telenovelas as much as I do!

Finally seniors!! My best friends and me on bid day

With friends after brunch with alumni

Continue reading →

Spotlight: The Department of Communication Disorders

Posted on March 14, 2012 by TU Community

We asked Dr. Sandra Wright, Assistant Professor of Communication Science Disorders at The University of Tulsa, to tell us about the Department of Communication Disorders at TU, and this is what she had to say…

As a former student at both the bachelor’s and master’s level, and current undergraduate advisor and assistant professor in speech-language pathology, it is my pleasure to share information about the Department of Communication Disorders at The University of Tulsa. The department contains two majors at the bachelor’s level: speech-language pathology and deaf education; and also offers a master’s of science in speech-language pathology at the graduate level. There are a total of eight full-time faculty members within the department, comprising the following roles:

Three academic professors in speech-language pathology, all of whom hold the certificate of clinical competency by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in speech-language pathology;
Four clinical professors in speech-language pathology, three of which hold the certificate of clinical competency by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in speech-language pathology and one who holds the certificate of clinical competency by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in audiology;
One academic professor in deaf education.

Both majors also offer student groups, DeafTU and TUSSHLA, geared towards undergraduates to learn more information about their future careers, as well as have the ability to network with working professionals in the major of choice within the TU community.

Continue reading →

Spotlight: Intramurals

Posted on March 5, 2012 by TU Community

We are always telling prospective students about intramurals on campus. But what the heck is an intramural? We asked a current TU student to explain…

Hello, sports fans! My name is Sarah, and I am a sophomore Deaf Education major and Early Childhood Intervention minor from Arlington, Texas. And lucky for you, I’m your expert on TU intramurals (even though I’m still waiting to get Intramural Champion sweatshirt for myself…more on that later.)

But to be honest, I hadn’t heard the word “intramural” until my senior year of high school. So if you’re anything like I was, I’ll fill you in, newbie. Intramurals are sports you can play even when you are not on the collegiate team. They allow you to continue being the athlete you were all in high school by showing off your skills to your new college friends or let you learn and experience a sport for the first time in a fun environment.

We have all the classic sports—volleyball, soccer, basketball, softball, tennis, and flag football—but you also have the choice of golf, badminton, ultimate Frisbee, 8 ball pool, table tennis, dodgeball, bowling, and even putt putt! And for each sport, there are A, B, and C league for athletes of different skill levels: A for the near-collegiate player, down to C, perfect for the newbies or people who just want to have fun. Most sports have same-sex leagues, but co-ed teams are also available in many as well.

As for me, I grew up playing sports, and in my two years here at TU, I’ve tried to be on as many intramural teams as possible!! I’ve played flag football for the past two falls on my sorority team. In the past, our team wasn’t quite up to par, but this year, we asked a couple guys on the football team to be our coaches!! Not only did we go further than we ever had (the quarterfinals, whoo!), but I also made two athlete friends (just another perk of a small school, by the way)! This fall semester, I also played soccer with my sorority. Both these fall sports are super fun, and even though we were in the C league, it was still competitive!

I’ve also been on co-ed teams, which are just as fun, if not more! Last year, I joined a softball team with a group of my friends from my residence hall, Fisher South. I knew about half the players on the team, but by the end of it, I was friends with everyone! I played catcher most games because one thing I can do is catch pop flies! Hitting, on the other hand, is not my forte, but let’s not talk about that. We did pretty well, but I believe we lost pretty early in the playoffs. All I remember is having a blast! Here’s a picture of our team, Pitch Please.

This spring, I was asked to be on a 5 on 5 basketball team with a few of my girl friends and with some guy acquaintances. I’m not the best basketball player, but all my teammates are very encouraging. Now those guy acquaintances are my friends! We’re in the playoffs, and our last game is on Thursday! Here is my to-be championship team!!

I really want to win this time because when you win, you get an exclusive Intramural Champ sweatshirt! This year, they say, “If you’re not first, you’re last.” I can’t wait to get mine!! Wish me luck!